Detonating apparatus for railway-trains.



Patented Feb. 6, I900.

C. SELDEN. DETONATING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY- TBAIN'S.

(Applicatign filed Mar. 10, 1899.) (m Model.) 2 Shaatg-Sheef I.

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C. SELDEN. DETONATING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY TRAINS.

(Application filed Mar. 10, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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' of the detonating apparatus.

" STATES PATENT Fries.

CHARLES SELDEN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

DETONATING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY-TRAINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 64 ,882, dated Feb ua y 6, 1900.

Application filed March 10, 1899. Serial No. 708,488. (No model.)

1'0 all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, CHARLES SELDEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Means for Exploding Torpedoes or other Detonators by Railway-Trains, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to detonating apparatus for railways, and particularly to that class of these devices wherein the detonator is exploded by mechanism set into motion by a passing car-wheel.

One object of this invention is to construct a device of this sort that will carry a number of detonators, such as cartridges or torpedoes, and that will automatically feed them into position for use.

Another object is to so construct the apparatus that it may be tripped or returned to the position of non-use without firinga detonator and without actuating or disturbing the feeding mechanism.

Another object of the invention is the construction of a detonating apparatus of this sort in a simple and durable manner and the combination, wit-h the controlling apparatus therefor, of a suitable indicator by which the condition of the apparatus may be known at all times in the signal tower or station.

To this end the invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents in vertical section the principal parts Fig. 2 represents in plan view and diagrammatically the entire detonating apparatus. Fig. 3 represents a side view of the operating-lever at the signal tower or station, and Fig. 4 is a detail diagram of the step-by-step feeding mechanism for the detonator magazine or carrier.

The apparatus consists of a magazine or carrier for torpedoes, cartridges, or other forms of detonators and an exploding device therefor, which are located along the line of Way in proximity to one of the track-rails, and a controlling device and indicator mechanism which may be located at any desired distance from the track instruments-for instance, in the signal tower or station.

The track instruments are preferably mounted upon the sills or ties and suitably protected. The casing for the major portion of the track apparatus is .represented at 5.

The magazine or carrier for the detonators is composed of a plate 6 for supporting the detonators and the cap 7 for protecting them. This magazine or carrier is preferably a rotary one and is journaled in a bearing at 8. A stepped or toothed rack, consisting of the lower member 9 and the upper member 10, is provided at the base of the carrier for rotating it.

The exploding device consists, preferably, of atelescoping lever pivoted upon suitable trunnions, as indicated at 11. The extensible portion of this telescoping lever is indicated at 12 and is normally retracted into the sheathing portion 13 by means of the spring 14. This spring is shown as located upon a reduced portion of the extensible part and abuts against suitable projections (indicated at 15) upon the interior of the sheathing portion. An arm or pin, as 16, projects from the part 12 through a suitable slot in the part 13 to afford a connection for the mechanism em ployed in extending or disten ding the part 12. Said mechanism may consist of any suitable means. It is here represented as composed of an elbow-lever 17, pivoted to the under side of the part 13, preferably in the vertical plane of the trunnions 11, and the link 18, by which the elbow-lever is connected to the arm 16. By locating the lever 17 as just described it will have the minimum amount of vibration due to the tilting of the telescoping lever. The rod for distending the part 12 is indicated at 19 and extends to the operating-lever 20 at the signal-station or switchtower.

Any suitable means may be employed for holding the part 12 in distended positionsuch, for instance, as an elbow-lever 21, pivoted upon the part 13 and adapted to nor mally rest upon the part 12. Said latter part is provided with a shoulder or stop 22, behind which the latch 21 will fall when part 12 is extended.

An automatic tripping device for the part 21 is provided, so that as the lever is depressed by a passing car-wheel the latch may be raised from behind the stop 22, when the spring 14 will retract the part 12. A manual tripping device for the catch 21 may also be provided and may consist of a lever 23, pivoted upon the under side of the part 13, as at 2 1. This lever may be held under tension by means of a spring, as 25,, for the purpose of holding the catch 21 to the part 12. It is preferable to provide for tripping the latch 21 by the same rod that is used in extending the part 12. One way of'accomplishing this consists in slotting the rod 19, as indicated in Fig. 2, to an extent such that by reversing the movement of said rod it will strike lever 23, and so raise the catch 21 from engagement with the stop 22 and allow the part 12 to recede within the sheath.

Suitable firing-pins for firing the detonators are mounted upon an extension of the sheath 13, as indicated at 26. Two are shown, as it is preferable to discharge two detonators at once, and thereby provide against the possibilityof one of them not exploding. To this end the mechanism is shown as supplied with a double row of detonators, twelve in each row.

The actuating-pawl for the step-by-step mechanism is represented at 27 upon the end of the exploding-lever. This pawl normally rests at the base of the tooth in the lower member of the step or toothed rack, and so holds the detonator-carrier in position such that two of the detonators are immediately over the firing-pins.

Normally the extensible portion of the exploding-lever is retracted. When, however, it is desirable to set the apparatus in position for use, the lever 20 at the signal-station is thrown forward and the part 12 projected, the catch 21 then dropping behind the stop 22 and holding the parts in readiness for operation by the first wheel of a train approaching.

On setting the device the operator may, if he choose, return his lever to the vertical position, the slot in its outer end providing for this operation, or he may let his lever rest in the advanced position and allow it to be returned to the vertical by the retraction of the part 12. The retraction of the part 12 will take place automatically as soon as the carwheel has depressed the exploding-lever sufficiently to bring the forward end of the catch 21 down upon a stop, as 28, located in the path thereof. The blow of the car-wheel upon the outer end of the exploding-lever throws the prick-pins into the detonators, thereby firing them. At the same time the pawl 27 strikes the incline of the upper member 10 of the toothed rack and rotates the carrier sufficient-ly for said pawl in its descent to strike the incline of the next tooth on the lower member of said rack, thereby rotating the carrier suiiicicntly to move the next pair of detonators into proper position over the prickpins.

Any suitable means for returning the exploding-lever to its normal or horizontal position maybe providedsuch, for example, as the spring 20. If after setting the explodinglever into position for use, as by a forward movement of the 0perating-lever20, it should be desirable or necessary to prevent the operation of the exploding-lever,tho lever 20 may be drawn back into the position indicated at 30, Figs. 2 and 3, which will cause the rod 19 to throw the latch 21 out of engagement with the stop 22, as above stated.

In order that the switchman or signal-operator may keep track of the charge in the detonator-magazine, he may have at his station a suitable indicator. One form of such indicator is illustrated in Fig. 2. It is there shown as consisting of a toothed wheel 31, wherein there are as many teeth as there are pairs of detonators. Upon the lever 20 a double pawl, as 32, is shown, one end of which engages the pins of said wheel at each forward movement of the lever and steps it around one division, a spring-detent, as 33, holding said wheel against accidental displacement. Should it be desired to trip the detonating-lever, as above explained, the indicator may be returned to its previous position by the opposite end of the double pawl engaging the proximate tooth of the wheel 31 in the backward movement of the lever 20. In this way the position of this toothed wheel will indicate exactly the number of charges in the magazine, a suitable dial, as 34, bearing representations of said charges and an index on the wheel 31 pointing to the divisions of the dial.

Au aural signal maybe provided to attract the signal-operators attention to the fact that the magazine is empty. Such signal maybe provided for in many ways. For instance, an electric bell, as 35, maybe coupled to a brush 36, bearing upon the wheel 31, and to a springcontact 37, located for engagement with a pin 38, carried by said wheel, which pin, as the wheel 31 completes its revolution, will complete circuit with said spring-contact and cause the bell to ring. The circuit to the hell may instead be closed by a contact arranged at the magazine. Such an arrangement may consist of a pin 39, carried by the magazine, and a pair of contact-springs 40,10- cated in the path of said pin, said springs being suitably connected to the bell and battery at the station, as shown in dotted lines.

The construction and arrangement of parts above outlined simply exemplify one way in which the invention maybe embodied. This construction and arrangement may be Varied and changed in many ways without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention claimed is 1. In a detonating apparatus, the combination with a magazine or carrier for detonators, of means operated by a passing train for feeding the detonators into position for use and at the same time putting the actuating mechanism therefor out of engagement with the car-wheels.

2. In a detonating apparatus for railways, the combination with a magazine or carrier for'detonators, of an exploding device actuated bya passing train,means operated thereby for feeding detonators into position for use and exploding them, and means for autom atically returning the exploding device to a position of non-use.

3. In a detonating apparatus for railways, the combination with a detonator-holder, of a lever for exploding a detonator actuated by a car-wheel, and means operated through the actuation of said lever for throwing the latter into a position out of the path of the carwheels after the detonator has been exploded.

4. In a detonating apparatus for railways, the combination with means for setting it ready foruse, of means for resting or tripping the exploding device without firing a detonator.

5. In a detonating apparatus for railways, the combination with an actuating-rod for setting the exploding apparatus, of means operated on a reverse movement of said rod for resting or tripping the exploding device without firing a detonator.

6. In a detonating apparatus for railways, the combination with a magazine or carrier for detonators operated automatically by a passing train for feeding the detonators into position for use, of an actuating-rod for setting the exploderinto position for use, and a tripping device also operated by said rod for throwing the exploder into position of nonuse without affecting the position of the detonator-carrier.

7. In a detonating apparatus for railways, the combination with a rotary detonator-magazine, of an exploding-lever, and a step-bystep mechanism actuated directly by said lever for rotating the magazine.

8. In a detonating apparatus for railways, the combination with a rotary detonator-magazine provided with a step-by-step gear, of a lever pivoted at the side of a track-rail and provided with a pawl for engaging with said gear, and means for putting said lever into potrack-rail that when extended it will be operated by a passing car-wheel.

10. In a detonating apparatus for railways, a telescoping exploding-lever, in combination with means for extending it into the path of a car-wheel, and means for automatically causing the extended portion of said lever to retract when depressed by the car-wheel.

11. In a detonating apparatus for railways, the combination with a detonator-magazine and the exploding device, of means for setting said device in position for use and for tripping it when desired, and an indicator actuated by said setting and tripping means to show the number of detonators in the magazine.

12. In a detonating apparatus for railways, the combination with a detonator-magazine, of an exploding device actuated by a passing train, and adapted to automatically feed the detonators into position for use, and an indicator at the signal tower or station for showing when the magazine is empty.

13. In a detonatin g apparatus for railways, the combination with a detonator-magazine and a step-by-step mechanism actuated by the car-Wheel for operating said magazine, of means for automatically withdrawing the said mechanism from position for action when depressed by the car-wheel.

14. In a detonating apparatus, the combination with a magazine or carrier for detonators of an exploding-lever actuated by a carwheel and provided with means for positively feeding the detonator-carrier.

15. In a detonating apparatus, the combination with a detonator-carrier, of a lever operable by a passing train for feeding the detonators into positionfor use and for exploding them, and means for putting said lever out of the path of the train after each actuation thereof.

Signed at Baltimore city, in the State of Maryland, this 4th day of March, A. D. 1899.

CHARLES SELDEN.

Witnesses:

EDWARD J. SILKMAN, CHARLES SELDEN, Jr. 

